


Usurped

by LadyJessYU



Category: The Handmaid's Tale (TV)
Genre: 2x08, but it is much less, you watch the show so you know what to expect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-20 06:53:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14889737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyJessYU/pseuds/LadyJessYU
Summary: As Fred Waterford returns from hospital, he realizes that things are not what they ought to be.





	Usurped

**Author's Note:**

> I've never written from the perspective of a character I so thoroughly dislike, so this is new for me (as is the fandom). But I had the need to write something which is centered around June/Serena dynamic which is one of the most interesting developments of the season.

His wife, blue, greets him at the door. The rest are lined up inside - green, grey and red. It is all in order. Yet it isn't. Something has shifted within the household, whether it was his absence or his reappearance that has brought on the change, he cannot know for certain. Whatever it is, it has created strained atmosphere.

His suspicions are confirmed once he is greeted by Offred. His eyes stay on the full belly, she has grown so much. Hers are restless, searching for his wife.

“We are all grateful for your recovery.” she says. It sounds hollow. Serena must have ordered the welcome in her own way. Yes, that must be it.

It doesn't give him rest, though. So he observes, quietly. He does that quite well. He never speaks much, he knows the power of silence. And when he does, it is never in many words, and just above the whisper.

They all spend time in the sitting room together, Offred has earned that place now. To bond with the child, aunt Lydia said.

He notices the dynamic between the two women has changed, moved outside the range it has circulated in so far.

Now, when on rare occasions his wife addressees Offred, it is not resentment that is veiled behind the message, but kindness. To an untrained ear it sounds the same, but he knows his wife well.

And Offred's defiance, which seemed strictly reserved for Mrs Waterford, lacks the force it had. Yes, it is there when she is asked to do something. Still, a lingering moments pass between the two women and Fred wonders.

He is trying to decipher this subtle novelty, deciding that the impending arrival of the baby must be the reason. After all, when it comes to children, women tend to act oddly.

He hears of the sick child as well, Angela her name is. His house is filled with whispers, he can't seem to stop hearing about it. Maybe it is the shared maternal instinct that has brought the women of the house in such state of distress. It has reached a point where Serena asks him to assign some Matha to examine the child. He would never commit such transgression. The child is well cared for, Gilead has the best doctors on the continent. And the Lord to watch over them all.

But Serena is willful. He hasn't seen her in days, she is always with the Putnams. The house is quiet, always empty. It gives him the chance to visit Offred. She could give him the proper welcome, away from Serena's watchful eye.

He climbs the stairs slowly, the consequences of the terrorist attack still felt in his bones.

The door open with a creak. He expects to find her in her bed, he wants to see her, kiss her, to feel her. But it is empty, like nobody has been there for some time. The lamp illuminates the room dimly. Looking now, there is hardly any sign of a person living there.

His eyes land on the desk. A white pristine music box left there in plain sight. A trinket form a lover. Nick. His desire to be inside her once again is instantly forgotten, as the simmering rage takes over his body. She dared keep another man's token of affection so shamelessly in the open. Was she callous or extremely bold? Did she think that now as she is with child, she is untouchable? She did seem naive in their conversations before, yet has proven herself to be quite resourceful.

Then he sees something else, a single white rose by the bedside to match the music box. Delicate petals arched in divine beauty. Such rose, picked out purposefully and with care, could have only been nourished in one private haven.

Why? The question remains.

*

It's a slip,a stupid pointless action for a child that God has already called, that makes it all fit.

The transgression itself, heresy, isn't what irks him the most.

They created the alliance, behind his back. He reads Offred's little notes, comments on Serena's words and ideas. He imagines those nights spent working together on this. No longer meek and obedient. Were they laughing, thinking how smart they were to fool him?

It used to be him and her, and Serena on the outside. Now, now they made him irrelevant. The man, center of any house, put on its outskirts.

It is late, later than any woman should be outside her home when he hears the front door open.

“Nick, tell Mrs Waterford I want to see her. Offred as well.”

It gives Nick a pause before he nods. Well, wouldn't he like to know everything.

He is looking over some papers as they enter. Anything to show he is unbothered, to conceal how much they both disappointed him. Offred in particular.

He is the one who's doing forbidden things for her, he took her out of that room, that red uniform. He allowed her to feel like a proper woman, not only a Handmaid. He gave her the picture of her daughter, assuring her she was safe and happy. He does things for Serena as well, lets her read and do things she has no right to.

What does he get in return? Disobedience. Teaming up, making him look like a fool.

It is his fault to have let this free rein go on for so long. His weakness, may the Lord forgive him, has lead the women of his household forget their place. It is his duty as a man to lead them down the right path. The Bible say so.

He unbuckles his belt. There is fear in both of them, but no understanding.

“Forgive me, darling.”

Why are they making him do this? He doesn't want to. It will hurt him more than them. Heavy is his burden.

A lash.

A cry.

“Offred.” he calls. She tried to look away, to run. She cannot, she must watch, “Stay.”

The pregnancy's preventing him from educating Offred in proper manner, but perhaps it is a blessing. Lord does work in mysterious ways. Perhaps simple observance will get the message across just as effectively.

'Why does this hurt you, Offred? Do you fear that it might be you some day? Or does it hurt to see Serena suffer? Why? What's changed?'

He is looking at her as lashes accompanied by his wife's muffled cries echo the room. It doesn't feel like his hand is doing this anymore, but the hand of God. It is a punishment for him as well.

'You're weak.'

'We can't.'

'The baby's not yours.'

'No.'

'Be a man.'

He remembers these women doing this to him. And now, he knows his action is just.


End file.
